Method of making separable fastener sliders



June 16, 1931. e. SUNDBACK METHOD QF MAKING SEPARABLE FASTENER SLIDERS Original Filed Jan. 1925 2- Sheets-Sheet l I AIL 71/ INVENTOR %Xwru June 16, 1931.

G. SUNDBACK 1,810,377 METHOD OF MAKING 'SEPARABLE FASTENER SLIDERS Original Filed Jan. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Patented June 16,- 1931 f UNITED STATES PATEN 1'- OFFICE? GIDEON 'SUNDBAGK, or HEADVILLE, nENNsYLvANIA, 'nssIGNoN. 'ro' HooKLEss FASTENER comm, or MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, n CORBORATION on PENN SYLVANIA mnrnon or MAKiNG sures-ABLE FASTENER-SLIDERS Original application filed January 27, 1925, Serial No. 5,020. Divided and this application filed march '29,

1927. Serial This invention relates to a method of mak-[ ing separable fastener sliders of'the type disclosed and claimed in my Patent No. 1,661,144 issued February 28, 1928, of which this application is a division.

Among the objects of the invention are to reduce the cost of manufacturing separable fastener sliders, .to facilitate their uniform 4 production in very large quantities, and to construct them of sheet material in one piece instead of several been customary.

A separable fastener slider is subject to severe operating stressestending to spread it, as when closed under strain,- and also often tending to contract it, as in a wringer when it is used on washable goods, so that if'a fastener is to beserviceable the slider must be rigid.

One type of slider which is made in large quantities for use in edgewise interlocking fasteners consists of sheet metal .wings connected by a bent neck. One' or both of these wings are usually provided with inturned lateral edges to form the channels, and these end fianges strengthen thefwings longitudipieces as has heretofore nally as far as they extend. With sheet metal sliders, it is necessary to provide stiflening means forthat portion between the bent neck and the outer wing corners, and also to pro vide actuating means. Such stifi'ening means has heretofore consisted of a rivet assed through the two wings, or through a nee connecting the wings proper to the bend, or has consisted of a U-shaped stifi'ener interlocked with the neck and extending longitudinally of both wings. In riveted sliders, compression is sometimes opposed by an inside spacerz. A U-shaped stiffener interlocked with the wing ends opposes both contraction and expansion. The actuating member or pull device is usual ly attached to the bent neck or to the .U-shap'e' stiffener. i The improved-slider disclosed and claimed in my above mentioned patent is made of sheet/metal and is provided with integral stiffenin means which can be either inside or outsi e the bend, and is preferably inside. The slider is made short by eliminating the bent neck in favor of a bent thickened-reinwings are provided with an integral projection for attachment of the desired actuating device.

Sliders of this type may be manufactured uniformly and in very large quantitiesin accordance with the method of the present invention. In one embodiment of this method,

strip material of any suitable metal is flattened out to the gauge desired for wing and I flange thickness, and the thickened reinforce formed in the same operation. A thickened portion is preferably also left by the same operation on one r both wings to which the actuating'device can be pivoted. One or both of these thickened portions act as positioners for placing a strip in blanking out dies which cut out the flat slider blanks. The next operation is to form undercut recesses in the pull attaching lugs on the flat blanks. The. next operation is the first bending to bring the wings within, say, about 10 or 20 of parallelism for the purpose of leaving space to in-' sert a forming tool from the end and between the wings to form the channels and the integral reinforceto the desired thicknessand cross section for maximum strengthening. The wings are then further compressed to parallelism, thereby completing the slider except for tumbling or other finishing operations and the attachment of the pull device."

- The invention will be' described in connec tion with accompanying drawings in which similarreference characters indicate correof metal from which Fig. 2 shows the first step in the operation; Fig. 3 is a side view of thedevice shown in "Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4a-4a of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the device after the wings have been formed; I

Fig. 6 is a side view of the device of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7a7a of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 5 after the flanges have been formed;

Fig. 9 is a side view of thedevice of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 shows the slider partially bent into position;

- Fig. 11 shows the slider after having been bent to form;

Fig. 12 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 11 and is partly in section;

Fig. 13 shows one form of pull device for the slider;

Fig. 14 is a side view of the pull device of Fig. 13;

Fig.15 illustrates the manner of attaching the pull device to the slider;

Fig. 16 is "a plan view of the completed slider with the pull device attached;

Figs. 17 and 18 illustrate a modification having the integral reinforce on the outside of the wings and bend; and

Figs. 19 and 20 show a construction having the integral reinforce on both the outside and inside of the wings and bend.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the slider is formed from an elongated strip 10 of metal by reducing the thickness of the strip 10 and forming thickened portions 11 on one side by flowing the metal as, for example, with the aid of dies in a manner similar to that employed in coining processes. The projecting lugs 12 are similarl formed on the reverse side, preferably in t e same operation in about the location and of the shape illustrated. If each side of the slider is to have an actuating device or pull member, double the number of such lugs are formed at proper places on the same side of the strip 10, so that each wing is provided with an integral pull attaching lug. The wings 13 and v14 0 the shape illustrated are next blanked out so as to have them connected by a thickened portion 11, as shown in Fig. 5. The lug 12 is next formed, by means of punches, with recesses 16 on opposite sides thereof, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The lateral edges of one or both of the wings 13 and 14 are then bent up to provide flanges 17 as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, which serve to guide the slider along the fastener members. Fig. 10 illustrates the next step of bending the wing portions so as to have the thickened part 11 preferably inside the bend and directly between the wings. The wings may be either bent directly to final form, as shown ,in Fig. 11, or, preferably, the wings are first bent to about the 10 or 20 position shown in Fig. 10 and then subsequently bent to the final form shown in Fig. 11 over dies or forming tools which finally consolidate and form the integral reinforce 11 and give it the desired guiding surfaces in the channels. During bending the reinforce 11 is deformedand compacted. A pull device 18 is blanked out 'of sheet metal and the attaching projections 19 spread apart, as illustrated in Fig. 14, in order for the pull device to be secured to the lug 12, as illustrated in Fig. 15, by contracting the projections 19. The completed slider is ready for affixing to a fastener after tumbling or other finishing operations. The blanks may be annealed or heat treated between operations, if necessary, but preferably not after the final bending and forming, as the compressed or compacted metal thus obtained is of maximum stiffness and. hardness. The marked property of hardening or compacting of non-ferrous metals when placed under compression while cold is thus uniquely taken advantage of to make a slider of maximum strength. As is well known in the art, separable fastener sliders are made of a common non-ferrous alloy known as nickel-silver.

Sheet metal sliders heretofore made have been unduly long due to having a neck extending longitudinally beyond the diverging channels to which a pull device has been connected, or through which the reinforcing means or rivet has been passed. Sometimes an'external reinforcing or stiffening means has been used extending along the neck and wings and interlocked therewith. Rivet heads or external stiffening means have caused projections which might tear a fine hose when the fastener is applied to a shoe, as well as interfering with and catching upon the contents of various types of bags or receptacles to which the slider is applied.

\Vhen sliders are made according to the method of this invention, the neck portion is done away with and the wings are joined inwardly directly between the inner sides of the diverging channels with the result that the slider length is materially shortened by the absence of a neck portion. The surface of the slider is smooth and free from any projections or external stiffening means because the reinforce to prevent distortion of the wings is located within the bend and between the wings. is integral with the wings, and extends longitudinally fromthe 'bend' to about or at least a transverse line attached to the recessed integral comp-acted lug in about the center of one of the wings. This slider is symmetrically reinforced and both wings equally stiifened. Because the.

metal of the thickened portion 11 is compacted or compressed both in the coining operation of Fig. 2 and the bending .o' eration of Fig. 11,.the slider is more rigid t an any previous sliders anywhere near its size.

Instead of the reinforce being located entirely on the inside as is preferable, Figs. .17 and 18 show a construction in which the re-' inforce is located entirely on the outside, and Figs. 19 and 20illustrate a construction in which the stiffening means 21 and 22 are located both on the inside and exterior, respectively The thickened part 11 may be formed inother'shapes than that illustrated. The projecting lug 12 may be made as long or as short as desired. When made of short length, the pull device will be pivoted therewhich is 8, 17, etc., before the-wings are bent.

in without having much play, while if desired the lug may be made longer to allow the pull device to be movedfrom one end of the slider to the-other, according to the direction in which it is pulled.

The entry of the locking members of a fastener into the diverging channels of the slider is facilitated by having the edge of the mouths of the channels beveled at23 preferably done as shown in Figs.

Among the advantages of this method may I be mentioned the ease and facility with whi the slider can be made,all in one piece instead of in several, and insteadof using a separately attachable reinforcing member. -The slider is adapted for'quantitfy production and to be made from a strip-o material, and the dies and punches can be cheaply produced and maintained. Because the reinforce is integral with the win s, it is bent at the same time the Wings are ent. The use of forming tools in the completion of the bending operation insures the wings being spaced apart the greater amount and insures the diverging channels being made of the desired shape and-clearance, with the reinforce accurately shaped and positioned without the necessity of additional grinding or machining operations for the channels.

The invention is capable ,of various modifications and adaptations .within the scope, of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is z 1. The method of making a separable fas-- tener slider which comprises forming a thick-' ened portion on a strip of sheet material, forming wingson either. side of said thickened portion, and bending said wings toward each other to compress said thickened portion between them.

2. The method of making a se arable fastener slider which comprises re ucing relatively thickmaterial to a thin sheet andsimultaneously forming a central thickened portion thereon, blanking out slider wings connected by and substantially including said thickened portion, and bending said wings' toward each other thickened portion between them.

to compresssald.

3. The method of making a separable fas-" tener slider which comprises forming a thickeach other to within about 20 of parallelism,

and subsequently bending said wings to parallelism and deforming said thickened portion. j

5. The method of making a separable fastener slider which comprises forming a thickened portion on a strip of sheet material,

forming wings on either side of and partly" including said thickened portion, beveling the edges of'the material adjacent said thickened portion, flanging the lateral edges of said wings, and bending said wings. toward each other.

6. The method of making a separable fastener slider having diverging channels, which comprises forming a projection on 'a strip of. metal, blanking out a pair of wings connected by and each partly including said projection, fianging the lateral edges of said wings on the side of the blank containing said projection, and bending said projection between the wings to provide -diverging channels-defined by said projection andjsaidflanged edges.

7. The method of making a separable fastener slider having diverging channels, which comprises forming a projection having guiding surfaces on 'a strip of metal, blanking out a pair of wings connected by said projection, flanging the lateral edges of "said wings on the side of the blank containing said pro ection, and bending said projection be-- tween the wings to bring said wings substantially parallel.

' 8. The method of making a separable fastener slider having diverging channels which comprises forming a pro ection havin guide ing surfaces on a strip of metal, blanking out a pair of win s connected by said'projection with said pro ection extendinglongitudinal- 1y between the lateral edges of said wings, fianging the lateral'ed es of said wings from the outer end up to sai projection, and bending said wings towardeachother to form wings toward 3 I diverging channels defined by said projection and said flanged edges.

9. The method of making tener slider having diverging channels, which comprises forming a projection havin guiding surfaces on a strip of metal, blanking out a pair of wings connected by said projection, flanging the lateral edges of said wings on the side of the blank containing said projection, bending said wings over said projection a separable fasto within about 20 of parallelism, and subsequently further bending said wings toward each other to give the desired clearance through the diverging channels.

10. The method of making a separable fastener slider having diverging channels, which comprises forming a blank from aflat strip of metal with a pair of wing portions and a projection having slopin sides extending upwardly from the plane 0% said wing portions, said wing portions being connected'by and each partly including said projection, flanging the lateral edges of said wings on the side of said blank containing said projection, and bending said blank about said projection until said wings are substantially parallel and said flanges are directly opposite each other, said projection being bent inwardly between said wings fine by said pro ection and said flanged ed es.

gigned at Meadville, in the county of Crawford, and State of Pennsylvania, this 8th day of March A. D. 1927.

GIDEON SUNDBACK.

whereby diverging channels are de- 

